Posts Tagged ‘renewable energy’

U.S. To Build World’s Largest Solar-Power Plant

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

China may be in the lead when it comes to investing in renewable energy, but the U.S. is about to take a 1,000 megawatt leap.

  • The Obama administration just approved a permit allowing a $6 billion solar thermal plant to be built on federal land in a California desert.
  • Solar thermal energy production isn’t the same as photovoltaic solar panels. The plant works by using mirrors to direct sunlight into a tube, where its heat generates steam and moves turbines.
  • The company building the plant, Solar Trust of America, intends to start construction immediately to take advantage of government incentives for renewable energy projects before the year ends.

Facts & Figures

  • This plant, along with 8 others recently approved by the CA Energy Commission, will produce enough power to sustain 800,000 homes.
  • CA law requires all state utilities generate 1/3 of their power from renewable energy by 2020.
  • Solar Trust estimates that this project alone will create 7,600 jobs.

New Ideas For Former Farmland

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Farmers and environmentalists are building renewable energy plants on polluted or contaminated farmland.

  • Although environmentalists previously objected to many plans for solar energy plants, they are willing to accept them when built on already-contaminated or out-of-use farmland.
  • This arrangement benefits farmers because they often don’t have enough water to irrigate all the land they own.
  • If this arrangement proves successful, the government plans to adopt it on a more widespread level.

Facts & Figures

  • This project, called the Westlands Solar Park, involves building solar panels on 9,000 acres of leased farmland. This area will generate a projected 600-1,000 megawatts of electricity.
  • The current transmission capacity in the Westlands is up to 600 megawatts; building the plant to 5,000 megawatts, as is planned, would require major construction on transmission lines that could take over a decade.
  • If the Westlands project is successful, the federal government wants Westlands to take over another 100,000 acres of contaminated farmland.

Best Quote

“It’s about as perfect a place as you’re going to find in the state of California for a solar project like this. There’s virtually zero wildlife impact here because the land has been farmed continuously for such a long time and you have proximity to transmission, infrastructure and markets.” –Carl Zichella, former Western Renewable Programs Director, Sierra Club